Attorney and reality show contestant Bradford Cohen is no stranger to the spotlight, serving as defense counsel to numerous high-profile clients in less than high-profile cases.

Cohen's client list includes rappers Vanilla Ice (Robert Van Winkle) in a burglary case and DMX (Earl Simmons) in a drug possession case, NFL player Plaxico Burress for traffic infractions, NBA player Dennis Rodman for neglecting child support payments and record producer Scott Storch in a drug case. He also represented a Fort Lauderdale police officer who was cleared of filing false reports in a misconduct case in 2013.

Cohen, 45, is no stranger to Trump, having maintained a friendship with the candidate ever since appearing as a contestant on the 2004 season of "The Apprentice." He was fired by Trump in the second week, not just for losing the week's competition, but for giving up a precious exemption that would have kept him in the running.

Cohen said he surrendered the exemption to show his team he was willing to lead by example and take responsibilty. Trump saw it as a "stupid" move and an unforgivable sign of weakness, and fired Cohen. "Don't give anything away for free if there's no upside to it," Trump later told him.

It's advice Cohen reads into Trump's campaign. "America gives up too much of its bargaining power for nothing in return," he said. Cohen emphasizes that while Trump called his actions on the show "stupid," he later praised Cohen as "a brilliant guy."

A member of the Florida Bar since 1997, Cohen is a graduate of Nova Southeastern University and a former president of the Broward Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.